


no one but you

by choi_kimmy



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 13:32:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16724349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/choi_kimmy/pseuds/choi_kimmy
Summary: ~ where Newt (awkwardly) meets Achilles Tolliver for the first time, and Tina tries to find out why he is acting so strangely after that.





	no one but you

**Author's Note:**

> This oneshot contains spoilers from Crimes of Grindelwald! 
> 
> I really wanted to see how Newt would react to seeing Achilles for the first time, so this oneshot was written lmao, I hope I've done justice to Newt and Tina's characteristics here and hopefully you'll enjoy this!

It was exactly a few days after his visit to Dumbledore that Newt somehow found himself in MACUSA again, under his brother’s orders. No one paid him any heed, to which he was somewhat grateful for, and Newt was able to easily make his way towards Madam Picquery’s office.

“Good morning,” He greeted the President’s secretary politely. “I’m here to meet—”

“Mr Scamander,” The brunette behind the desk looked up briefly without an expression, though she offered him a nod of recognition. “Madam President is ready to meet you.”

“Thank you.” Newt said, making his way into the office. There was someone else he wanted to visit in the building, but first, he had to fulfil his task. To his surprise, Madam Picquery wasn’t alone. In fact, he saw a familiar face belonging to the woman he was _just_ thinking of, and the butterflies he had forgotten he had, fluttered surely into his stomach again.

Tina saw him entering, of course, and she gave him a small smile from where she stood. Newt returned one of his own, though the smile disappeared slowly as soon as he saw Madam Picquery. The President of MACUSA remained expressionless as she met his eyes.

“Mr Scamander,” She began with a purse on her lips. Newt shuffled his feet uncomfortably; the last time he was in Madam Picquery’s office, it hadn’t exactly ended with rainbows and unicorns. “I was informed that you have something for me?”

“Yes, I do.” Newt replied hastily, producing a sealed letter from his pocket. “It’s from my br—the Ministry.”

Madam Picquery accepted the letter graciously, opened it in one swift motion and began to read. Midway, she frowned, glancing at the British man standing in front of her. “You had a travel ban.” It was more of a statement rather than a question. 

Newt gulped, feeling his cheeks turning hot. “Yes, until this morning.” 

A few days ago, right after seeing Dumbledore again, Newt had been so sure that he would be facing a huge punishment from disobeying the Ministry and going to Paris, but somehow, after what had transpired that fateful evening, the Ministry had all but let him off the hook with just some fines to pay. He had been grateful, of course, but never had he expected that today, Theseus had called him over to the Ministry to inform him that his travelling application had finally gotten through, this time even without an interview. Newt almost didn’t believe his ears.

“Your brother has informed us that you may help in assisting our side with the aftermath paperworks of what happened that night.” Madam Picquery said flatly, waving one hand at the quiet individual standing by the side. “You’ll be assisting Ms Goldstein, who I am quite sure you are well acquainted with.”

 _Oh,_ Newt finally pieced everything together. So that must be why the Ministry has decided to grant his travel permit. Extremely pleased, especially at the thought of him working with Tina, Newt nodded without hesitation. “I’ll contribute as much as I can.”

“Good, that’s done, then.” Madam Picquery said, finally offering him a slight smile before gesturing for her auror to take over. “Ms Goldstein, if you may.”

Tina immediately stepped forward, giving Newt a warm smile while ushering him out from the president’s office. “We’ll just go over some details in the meeting room.”

Once outside, Newt wasted no second to whisper, “It’s really nice to see you again, Tina.”

“Oh, Newt…” Tina’s face softened, a blush creeping onto her face.

In all honesty, when Theseus had asked Newt to head over to America to deliver something to Madam Picquery, Newt had been ready to drop all that he was doing at the thought of seeing Tina again. He had wanted to resume the conversation he had with her before Grindelwald’s rally happened, but could not find a time to. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything, not after that night where he had lost Leta, and she, Queenie. Upon delivering the blood pact to Dumbledore, Tina had unfortunately taken her leave in her obligation to report back to MACUSA.

Not before saying a goodbye to Newt, though. Tina had apologised to him for having to leave so quickly, especially since they’ve just met again. Words caught in her throat, she had asked if he would come visit her anytime soon, to which Newt could not guarantee because of his travel ban. Newt could tell that Tina was disappointed to hear that, but had forced herself to nod and smile. 

“I’ll see you when I see you, then.” She’d said that, her voice so soft it nearly come off as a whisper. Newt could see the sadness in her eyes, but in a moment of hesitation, before he could say something, Tina had left. 

Newt had never felt so disappointed with himself after that. He really did want to see her again, but there was no chance the Ministry would listen to him now, would they? He would have contemplated leaving the country illegally again, if not because he was certain he couldn’t break the rules the second time, especially not after the Ministry had let him off with just some galleons of fines. 

Then Theseus, good ol’ Theseus, called him to his office to deliver that piece of good news he had never expected to hear. He had agreed immediately to that arrangement, of course, while his brother had been amused, clearly having his own suspicions as to why Newt had agreed so quickly to this task he’d just offered to him.

And now, here he was, in the heart of America, in MACUSA’s building, standing right beside Tina Goldstein. It felt somewhat wrong for him to be this happy, especially since the past few days had been considerably a nightmare to everybody, but Newt was positive that this was where he wanted to be at the moment.

“So, we need to complete the report of Grindelwald’s rally by this week.” Tina began as they walked towards the elevator. “We actually wrote to the Ministry for help since most of their aurors were present during that incident. We never expected that they’d send you, Newt, but—“ Tina paused, her cheeks flushed red again suddenly, “—I-I just think there’s no one else better but you to recount on what happened that night.”

Slightly embarrassed but awfully pleased to hear that, Newt was about to reply to that when Tina stopped short in her steps. She was looking at someone standing a few steps away from Newt. “Oh, hello Achilles.”

It took exactly two seconds for Newt to realise that this was not an unfamiliar name. He had heard of this name before, but where…

“Tina!” The man named Achilles replied with a smile on his face. He had made his way over immediately. “I heard what happened in Paris, I’m really sorry to hear about…” 

Tina dismissed that statement with a simple wave of her hand. She didn’t seem too keen to hear him finish his sentence, anyway, so she quickly changed the topic. “How very impolite of me. Achilles, this is Newt Scamander.”

Achilles finally noticed Newt beside Tina. He did a sort of double take when the name got through his head. “The author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? Mr Scamander, what an honour.” He jutted a hand out, to which Newt awkwardly shook. “Achilles Tolliver, quite a fan of your book I must say.”

“Umm…thank you.” Newt simply said.

Normally, if Newt had encountered someone who had expressed their interest in his book, he would have been extremely flattered. He hadn’t exactly gotten used to people recognising him yet, or saying how his work was good, so Newt usually didn’t say much in return. He’d thank them for their support, and maybe even sign their copies if they have it with them. Sometimes, he would even throw in a question asking which creature was their favourite.

But this time, Newt found it difficult to say anything. Because the name of this tall, lean, awfully good-looking man, finally clicked in his mind—he knew exactly who this person was, and suddenly, Newt wished he hadn’t come at all.

 

—

 

Needless to say, Newt’s mood was ruined after that little fateful encounter. He could barely focus on what Tina was telling him, nothing quite entering his head. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at the woman beside him, who was passionately explaining this whole arrangement to him. How could he, when all he could think of was _Achilles Tolliver, that handsome, tall, confident auror Tina is dating, who basically was perfect even in his eyes._

“Tina I’m really sorry but,” Newt had no choice but to interrupt Tina in one of her sentences. He was sweating profusely, his heart pounding. Tina looked up, immediate concern etched on her face— _her beautiful face,_ “Yes, Newt? Do you have a question?”

“I…um…it’s just that…” Newt raked through his mind for any possible excuse he could use to get himself out from this situation. Nothing creative came into his mind, unfortunately. Tina stared on, her eyes wide. She saw how pale and uncomfortable Newt was, how he was avoiding her eyes. Worriedly, she asked, “Are you unwell? Do you need to rest?” 

“Would that…would that be all right with you?” Newt asked, finally glancing her direction. “I’m really sorry.” He apologised quickly, but he really needed to take some fresh air, maybe even see his creatures. Anything to take his mind off that one certain man. 

“Of course, Newt. Take all the time you need.” Tina said slowly. “I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t have jumped into this so quickly, I forgot you’re not used to this sort of work.”

Newt immediately shook his head, somewhat guilty that Tina thought this was _her_ fault, when it was nothing of that sort. “Please don’t apologise, Tina.” He reached for his suitcase, popping it open. “I think…I’ll just head down into my suitcase for a bit.”

Tina nodded, not saying anything else as she watched him disappear into his own world.

 

—

 

Newt, lost in his own thoughts, wasn’t sure how long he had disappeared into his suitcase. He figured it must be for quite some time, and part of him wanted to go back up, to where Tina was. But part of him didn’t feel like he could face her just yet, so Newt decided to seek solace in his shed, staring really, at nothing in particular. Even Pickett, who had tried getting his attention by poking and pulling his hair, had given up on his idleness. Pickett had then wandered off sulkily.

Newt really didn’t know what to make of his reaction to this entire situation he was caught in. There was a whirlwind of unexplained emotions bottled up in his stomach, and he couldn’t exactly fathom why he was hit so hard after seeing Achilles Tolliver for the first time. When Queenie had told him that piece of unwelcome information, he had been disappointed, but with all that has happened after that, he had forgotten that such a man still exists in Tina’s life. When he finally saw the auror standing in front of Tina, looking all tall and confident, he could feel his world crashing down.

Talk about being dramatic, Newt sighed. How was he to compare with _such_ a wizard? An auror, just as brave and strong like Tina. They were quite a perfect match, after all.

Just then, Newt heard a soft sound behind him, the sound of someone stopping by his shed and looking in. He glanced up, meeting the gaze of the woman he couldn’t stop thinking for about a year.

“Hi,” Tina whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

“Hello.” Newt replied, then looked down. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just…you’ve been down here for hours and I was getting…” Tina hesitated, taking small steps forward. “worried.”

“I was just doing a bit of thinking.” Newt offered, his tone apologetic. It definitely wasn’t his intention to make Tina worry about him.

Not quite sure if it was right for her to move any closer, Tina lingered near the stool where Newt sat, fumbling her fingers nervously. Why was Newt being all melancholic all of a sudden? He was completely fine before going into the meeting room. “Did I…by any chance, said something or do something I shouldn’t have?” She asked worriedly. For the whole time Newt had disappeared into his suitcase, Tina had tried to recount what she did and said, yet she could not recall if she had said anything that was weird or offensive. “Please tell me what’s wrong, Newt.”

“N-no, Tina.” He shook his head, meeting her eyes briefly. “You didn’t say anything wrong. It’s just…” Newt struggled to find the right words to say. “You’re happy, and it feels like I’m intruding. Maybe I shouldn’t have come today.”

Alarmed, Tina instinctively held onto one of his arms, as though to prevent him from suddenly leaving. “Newt, what are you talking about? Why do you feel like you’re intruding?”

He kept mum, while Tina finally took the empty stool beside his, her hand still on his arm. “Newt, I…talk to me, please.” Tina half pleaded, her expression masked with worry and even pain that Newt was this down, but there was nothing she could do about it.

“Tina,” Newt started then, slowly, avoiding her gaze. “he really is a good choice for you.”

Taken aback, Tina asked, “Who is?”

“I mean, I completely understand why you’re…” Newt waved his hand about, as if that gesture was self explanatory. “you _know._ ”

Tina had furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. “Newt, I really _don’t_.”

“All I am asking is for you to be happy.” Newt reiterated what he had told her before, although he felt as miserable as he could be, akin to the feeling when one of his creatures was sick. Maybe even worse, he really didn’t know. What he did know was how his heart was breaking into pieces, he hadn’t felt this way for a long time, that was for sure. 

“I’m…I’m really flattered but could you explain to me the context of this sudden statement?” Tina tried again, patiently. She was genuinely concerned for Newt, who was acting strangely for some reasons she could not place a finger on.

There was a lump lodged in his throat, Newt really didn’t want to say it out loud. He looked at Tina again, who seemed genuinely puzzled over everything. “I…I understand that you are dating Mr Tolliver.” 

A few seconds passed by, Tina looking even more confused than before as she tried to digest what he had just told her. “I beg your pardon?” 

“Queenie…” Newt saw the brief look of hurt flashed across her face when he said Queenie’s name.He flinched, knowing Tina hadn’t quite gotten over what her sister had done that night, but Newt forced himself to continue, “she told me you started dating him after seeing the horrible, inaccurate headlines of that magazine. About…about Leta and I being engaged.”

“ _Mercy Lewis_ , Newt,” Tina heaved a sigh, understanding the whole situation immediately. She covered her face in embarrassment. No wonder he was acting all strange after meeting Achilles just now!

“Newt, _please_ look at me.” He hesitantly did as was told. Tina stared straight into his eyes. “I’m _not_ dating him. We only went out for a few dates but…but I made it _very_ clear to him that I _can’t_ be in a relationship with him.” 

Pause. And then, “I’m sorry?” Newt was sure his ears were deceiving him. It was his turn to be confused.

“Yes, you heard right.” Exasperated, Tina leaned forward in her stool. “I’m _not_ in a relationship. Not with Achilles. Not with _anyone._ ” She emphasised. 

“But…” Newt was clearly perplexed now, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “but he’s tall and handsome…and…so confident, and he’s an auror too. Why…why not?”

Almost at once, Tina’s expression softened. She could tell that Newt thought he was incomparable to Achilles, recalling that he had told her no one liked him and some even found him annoying. Tina had this sudden urge to reach out and just pull Newt into her arms, she wanted to tell him that he was just as perfect as any men out there, if not _better._ But doing that might just alarm him even more, so instead, Tina settled for the simplest, but most direct way of explaining herself. 

“But he’s not _you_.”

Silence lapsed between them after that. Newt’s jaw had dropped slightly, his forehead creased from complete disbelief at hearing that. Did he hear it right? Was it just an imagination? Did Tina just—

“Newt, you must know by now how I feel about you.” Tina broke the silence, cheeks flushed. It was her turn to be flustered, her heart pounding so loudly she could hear it. She knew that it was time for her to be clear about her feelings for Newt, so she continued slowly, “And there is _no_ other men out there, other than you, that can make me feel this way.”

Tina bit her lower lip, waiting nervously for his reaction, for him to say _something_. Her nerves were really about to kill her, yet Newt was still staring at her, completely shell shocked at what he had just heard. “I mean what I said.” Tina added softly.

“But…but why?” Newt asked, his expression equally as soft. He just couldn’t comprehend the idea of this beautiful, strong and independent woman, choosing him out of all people out there. It just didn’t quite make sense, to him. 

“You really need to give yourself more credit, Newt.” Tina was smiling now, her eyes crinkling in adoration. “Your heart is always in the right place, and the way you treat your creatures says a lot about your personality, and I…I like that about you.”

“You don’t find me annoying?” Newt asked in confirmation, still in awe of what Tina had just said to him. Tina shook her head. 

“I have _never_ found you annoying, Newt. Maybe a bit eccentric in the beginning, what with setting your creatures out loose all over New York,” Tina admitted embarrassingly at the memory of her meeting Newt the first time, “but never annoying.”

“I…thank you, Tina. That really means a lot to me coming from you.” Newt could feel his heart swelling with insurmountable happiness. He was slightly embarrassed too, at the compliments Tina had given to him. Realising that Tina was still waiting for a proper response coming from her _confession,_ if Newt could put it that way, he finally cleared his throat. This time, he was looking at her properly. He noticed the blush on her cheeks, her eyes—as beautiful as a salamander’s—gazing at him with so much affection that he could feel his heart bursting with joy. “Because…Tina, I could say the same about you.”

Tina was getting a little teary-eyed by then, so Newt pushed himself to continue. “I was…when Queenie told me you were seeing Mr Tolliver, I was completely devastated. I was upset at myself for not being able to keep to my promise of giving you my book personally, and our exchange of letters, they were wonderful, but because of that silly mistake I did…” He gulped, pausing to take a breath. Tina was still looking at him, still smiling, which prompted him to continue, “I knew I had to see you right away. I was desperate to see you, Tina. You must know that.”

“Oh, Newt…” Tina nodded, touched at his words. “I’m sorry I didn’t write to you after that. I came across that magazine and I just thought…I thought it was no longer my place to send you letters.”

Newt shook his head.

“Of course, I should have said something. I should have asked you about it, but I too, was upset. I thought you’d gone back to Leta, who was no doubt, wonderful and so beautiful—“

“I think you’re beautiful too, Tina.” Newt interrupted. “Remember when I said your eyes were like that of a salamander? It was a compliment.”

“I know,” Tina touched his hand gently. “I read about it in your book. I thought it was—“

“Jacob told me I shouldn’t say something like that to you, I mean, he’s probably right since I’m essentially comparing you to an amphibian and that’s not something nice to say to a lady—“ Newt was rambling nervously now, but in a spur of moment that was unplanned, Tina leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. That was enough to stop Newt, who was suddenly as red as a beetroot.

“Newt,” Tina whispered, unable to contain her happiness. “I did not get the chance to say this then, but that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me before. So, thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Newt managed to mumble that out, his cheek hot from where she had kissed him, his heart beating wildly against his chest.

“No more misunderstandings. Promise?” Tina asked, a bit shy from her action, but definitely glad she had mustered enough courage to do it. 

Newt finally smiled, genuinely, as he held onto Tina’s hand. “Promise.”

 (end)


End file.
